1. Field of the Invention
The field of the present invention relates to embedded system devices, and more particularly the digital fingerprinting of embedded system devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Embedded system devices are becoming more and more prevalent in everyday life. Examples of such devices include traffic signals, traffic cameras, digital cameras, digital video cameras, telephones, cellular phones, televisions, vehicles, vehicle navigation systems, and wireless routers, to name just a very few. Embedded system devices generally are designed to perform one, or just a few, dedicated functions, and perform them using a combination of hardware and software that is optimized for task. Such optimization often allows embedded system devices to be smaller, more cost efficient, more power efficient, and more reliable. With the explosion of embedded system devices in society, they are also increasingly being network enabled so that they can communicate, whether wired or wirelessly, with other devices and with designated servers. Given the connectedness of embedded system devices, it is becoming increasingly important to both authenticate the devices themselves at the outset of communications, and in some instances, to establish secure communications with the devices. Serial numbers, Media Access Control (MAC) addresses, and other forms of assigned identifiers can be limiting and are easily spoofed.